Geelong welcomed back exciting small forward, Tyson Stengle in round ten as he made his return following a wrist injury that kept him on the sidelines for a month.
Stengle suffered a fractured wrist in Geelong’s win over West Coast in round five, missing four games before taking the field against Fremantle, kicking two goals in his first game back.
Stengle said he was able to maintain his fitness during the time off, but will look to find his top form over the coming weeks.
“Because I injured my arm, I was able to run straight after the surgery which helped keep my fitness up," he said.
"It’s obviously different compared to playing AFL games, but I felt alright out there on the weekend. Toward the end I was blowing a little bit, but I felt pretty good.
"Now it’s about resetting and getting a few games into the legs, there’s still a long way to go this season.”
Stengle joined Geelong in 2022 and was a revelation for the Cats down forward, kicking 53-goals for the year and earning his first All-Australian blazer in an incredible comeback season.
Playing all 25-games for the year, Stengle booted three or more goals on 12 different occasions in 2022 including four in the Grand Final to cap off a brilliant year.
Tyson said that his role in the Geelong forward line has helped him to succeed, after slotting in straight away during his first year with the Cats.
“I sort of just find that natural flow out on the ground, just get the feel for it," he said.
"The coaches put me a little closer to the tall forwards, which helps and makes it easier to get deep and find the crumbs off them."
"Then we’ve got other forwards that get up and down the ground as well, which helps me out a bit too.”
Stengle immediately formed a formidable partnership with Geelong’s spearhead forwards, Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron during his first year, with the trio kicking 185-goals between them in 2022.
Stengle said playing in the Cats forward line alongside Cameron and Hawkins helped his game immensely, and is something he would like to build again in 2023.
“I think everyone works well together down there, everyone knows their role and what they are going to do when they run out there. Coming in last year was a bit intimidating, because they are probably the two best forwards in the competition. But to be there with the big tall’s, makes it a bit easier to kick goals for me.
"We’re all working pretty well together, still building the connection and chemistry. We’ll keep building that towards the end of the season.
"Hopefully we can get into the finals on a roll, that’s our aim.”
